I wanted this winter break to be special for the kids. Although I knew that I would spend much of the time working (I am in the middle of copyediting the manuscript), it was important to me to schedule activities that were both fun and educational. That is when it occurred to me that I should take them to visit a citrus grove. After all, we live in Florida, the land of citrus, no?

I thought of how excited Jon and Miren would be to pick some of their favorite fruit right of the tree and learn a bit more about where we live. I knew they would.

Then, my next question was… “where do we go?”

I didn’t know where to begin my search. I asked around and searched on the internet. How hard could it be to find a citrus grove in the land of mail-order citrus gift-boxes. I called and called, but got nowhere. It seems things have really changed in the last few years in the citrus industry. After the devastating freezes they had in the mid 80s, many small growers lost most of their groves and since then, citrus-growing has become much more industrialized.

“We don’t allow people to walk the groves for liability reasons, but you can visit our packing house” is the answer I heard the most. “But we really want to see the trees and pick the fruit! Why would I want to see a packing facility?” is what I kept repeating.

I got no answers. Until the day I picked up a bag of organic oranges at Whole Foods.

I saw the name Uncle Matt’s under a big sign that said “Local”. Right then and there, I googled them on my phone. I was so excited to find an organic citrus grower not far from where we live. I sent them an email as soon as I got home to see if we could come visit and shortly I received an email back saying “It would be our pleasure!”

Just like that, we planned a trip to visit Uncle Matt’s.

We decided to make a day trip out of it. Invited my friend Karen and Jon’s best friend Daisy along for the ride. C. even took the day off from work to join us.

The kids were beaming. Cool, sunny winters-day.

When we arrived, the entire McLean clan who is the family behind Uncle Matt’s greeted us. Benny McLean, the patriarch, comes from a long line of citrus-growing Floridians. Who else would have such great insight into citrus farming but him. Matt McLean, Benny’s son and CEO of Uncle Matt’s (the business was named after him) explained to us the genesis of it all and the importance of organic practices.

Annemarie and her daughters and nephew joined us as well. Daisy, Jon, and Miren were excited to find new friends and share the experience with them. The McLean children are used to being in the fields and working the land and that is very obvious. They are naturals.

Benny gave us a thorough explanation of how the citrus industry in Florida has evolved. He explained to us how they address the issues of winter freezes, insects, and disease under organic practices. He spoke about the trees’ immune systems and then, just like that, I wanted to cry out of joy. Maybe because my own autoimmune disorders, anytime a doctor, farmer, or individual addresses the importance of strengthening our bodies ability to defend from disease, it gets to me. I get it. Benny’s words resonated. I loved learning about how wasps are used to fight disease and how wasps live on their property pollenating these tiny white flowers that in conventional farming would be considered weeds and immediately removed.

They have created a harmonious eco-system and we could sense it. There is peace at Uncle Matt’s.

The fruit was outrageously sweet – candy-like and warm from the sun.

We all picked from the trees. The sweetest red navels, Hamlins, honeybells, pink grapefruit, gigantic pommelos, and lemons. The tangelos were still ripening and so were the Valencia oranges. They also grow avocados, blueberries, and peaches. We even spotted some blossoms on the peach trees.

Our kids and the McLean kids bonded over picking fruit.

Such a beautiful sight.

As we were walking around, my mind was spinning thinking about what I was going to make with all this beautiful fruit. The first thing was a fresh salad. Don’t we all crave citrus salads after all the holidays? I know I do.

We played at the farm until nightfall. The kids were happy from a day in the sun — in nature. And I was completely inspired by passion and dedication from those who see beyond a mere business and create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle for their family and community.

Back at home, we have been enjoying fresh citrus every morning. A mix of red navel and honeybell is Jon’s favorite. How could it not be right? Just like candy.

Even though it is winter and yes, it finally got down to the 40s, I still craved sorbet. I made pommelo, hibiscus, and vanilla bean popsicles that we had outside under the sun. It felt good.

Also made vanilla and cardamom natillas with sliced of citrus and ladyfingers using all the leftovers from recipe testing.

So thank you Uncle Matt’s and the McLean family for your time and generosity. We will never forget it.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup (250 ml) of pomelo juice, sugar, hibiscus, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt over medium high heat until it comes to a boil and sugar has dissolved. Remove pot from heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain it through a fine sieve and let the syrup cool for 10 minutes.

Mix the pommelo syrup with the remaining pommelo juice and lemon juice. Stir and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Churn in your ice cream machine for a few minutes until it starts to freeze and thicken, but not fully frozen. Pour into the popsicle molds, insert a wooden stick, and freeze until solid.

Cook the lobster in a pot of salted boiling water for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove and let it cool until you can handle it. Remove flesh from shell and cut into bite size pieces.

In a bowl toss together the lobster pieces, grapefruit, oranges, radishes, green onions, watercress and pistachios.

In a mortar and pestle, bruise the tarragon with a pinch of coarse salt. Slowly add the olive oil while stirring. Pour the oil over the salad, followed by the grapefruit juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Top with microgreens. Serve immediately while lobster is still warm.

What a lovely lovely adventure! Up north, I have taken my children apple picking for many years but how delightful to explore an orange grove! Beautiful pictures and lovely bright colors for those of us in the colorless gray dark winter.

This is one of the things I love most about you – you so clearly have found your passion. It isn’t just the photography – it is your excitement over the entire process of food, from healthy growing practices to all of the amazing recipes you carry around in your head. In the end, all of that greatness comes through in your gorgeous photographs. You are such an inspiration mon amie!xx

Oh, I can practically smell those bright, gorgeous fruits! These pictures took me right back to my Southern California, where my grandparents have several very productive citrus trees. They were always a huge part of our Christmas celebrations. My grandpa always carries a hefty pocket knife with him, to peel the oranges just like the gentleman in the picture. What a wonderful afternoon!

This is so stunning! I lived in Florida for several years, and despite seeing MANY trucks of citrus on the roads, never was able to go to a grove. Too bad I didn’t find Uncle Matt’s! Now I will spend the extra money in the grocery store, though, to support them! Thank you for such a beautiful and moving post. I will be subscribing.

Absolutely beautiful! What a lovely place! I live in the NW, but have family in California that have an orange tree in their back yard. Seriously nothing like the experience of eating a fresh picked orange!

This is a quality, well-written article with engaging content full of original, distinctive and tangible views. Much of this content falls in line with my own views. Thank you for sharing your knowledge this way.

Kimberly- well thank you! yes, food and the growing of food is very dear to me. perhaps because it reminds me so much of the way i was raised? it’s an emotional connection that i have. thank you for noticing my friend! xo

FashioNatalie- yes, it’s sad to see so many groves yet have no access to them. it really made me think of what it is that they are doing back there that they don’t want us to see. all the spraying that goes on, trees with almost no roots… Sad.

Mi- that is not crazy at all. I love snow and I miss cold winters, so enjoy it!

Sunchowder- you should go visit them. I bet you could make amazing marmalades!

Kiki- Although Florida is gorgeous right now, don’t be fooled. We don’t grow all year. From about may through november nothing grows here because it’s so hot. The PNW is beautiful and guess what, we might be there soon… :)

Oh what an amazing day. How I wish I could visit an orange grove now. I took my 2 1/2 year old to an organic farm and she loved loved it. So I can only imagine how much fun she would have picking her own oranges (which she loves). Too bad something like this is impossible in Dubai.

Isn’t it such a relief and excitement both when one find an organic (or beyond) organic grower? One reason why it is clearly important to support such small family farms. Living in Virginia, I get to pick peaches, cherries, berries in the warm month. But picking citrus is only a memory from childhood. I used to get a couple of cases of Florida citrus from my local high school band booster, but I stopped since they wouldn’t/couldn’t get organic citrus. This year, I yielded to nostalgia and ordered on-line from a small biodynamic farm, and I have had a great time making all kind of things with Meyer lemons and limes.Enjoy your bounty (and it’s always a good time for homemade sorbet!)

So beautiful. I love the photos and the story along with them. The picture of the fruits, whole and cut up, on the white plate is especially love.It is 12 degrees in New Hampshire, where I live today. Your post served to warm me up.Thank you.Dena

Wonderful that you finally found an organic grove that would let you in. I’ve heard that the citrus industry uses pesticides more heavily than any other, so I can only imagine what those others were hiding. Sadly, here in CO we don’t have much access to good, organic citrus. Really makes me miss living in FL. Your lobster salad looks so fresh and clean. A tasty start to the new year!

All these photos are so, so pretty. Another dream of mine: getting old in a lovely large farm kinda house with a huge back yard. Lots of fruit trees and other home grown products. My grandpa has his own large garden and I love getting there, just looking around, getting some fresh products. That’s how I want it to be for my grand children as well.

I’m from Florida [recently moved to NYC] and my family and I only get Uncle Matt’s oranges from WF! It’s a tradition, when I’m over in the summer, to make freshly squeezed orange juice and/or orange spiced scones :)

This was such a lovely post. It made me feel emotional and I almost teared up! That’s rare when I am simply relaxing and enjoying various internet reads. I think this is my first time commenting on your blog, but I have been following for a long time. Keep up the fantastic work. You are an inspiration!

Thanks for this lovely story and the beautiful pictures. I live in Israel and there’s nothing like eating a fresh orange, pommelo or grapefruit straight from the tree! Luckily I have those trees in my surrounding and I don’t need to buy (those ones in the stores are for sure not organic). Happy new Year!

Aran, this is so amazing! Not just the pictures (I’m always thrilled with them), but also an excitement in your posts! I have feeling I was there :) I know how you feel in that enviroment – so natural! I must ask you (I always want to aks, but I always forget) – where did you buy theese lovely white platter? It’s so lovely, I immediately fell in love! I recognize some Anthropologie stuff, but this platter is amazing :)

Absolutely beautiful pictures that convey a most wonderful trip. Incidentally, there is nothing simple about that lobster salad other than it being simply stunning. Perfect start to the year – thank you for sharing.

love your blog…its amazing…please make a fan page on facebook so as to follow you there too dont have twitter or flirc and dont have the opportunity to see your updates ….My respect for your work im so jealous of your life and your blog keep writting

What a delight to read about Uncle Matt’s on your blog this morning. I love their citrus!!

I’ve lived in South Florida for almost 20 years, and I too have always been amazed at the lack of access and/or the seeming citrus behind the scenes. Moving here I thought it’d be much more prominent!

One thing I do love is hubby bringing home the occasional avocados or citrus from a friend’s tree. It’s rare, but I love it when it happens. When I first moved here, my father in law had a grapefruit tree in the yard. I’m always amazed at how expensive they are in the store…even right here in Florida.

Evi ge- Thank you for reminding me. I do need to start working on a facebook page. I signed up a couple of years ago but I never use it. I think it’s another good way to keep in touch with readers like you suggested, so thank you!

Denise- yes, isn’t it sad? not sure how it all happened but things will have to change. The land won’t be able to sustain so much toxicity and abuse. I guess it’s up to us to change it, one purchase at a time!

I’m shivering in my cold Philadelphia apartment, looking wistfully at those citrus groves and the beautiful children in their shirtsleeves. That salad is so elegant and beautiful, I may just have to make it and close my eyes, pretending I’m somewhere warm. Thank you for a lovely post!

Well I am so happy for you guys that you found a citrus grove to visit & that we got to enjoy it through your eyes! Uncle Matts is such a wonderful company & now I think even more highly of them for allowing you and your family this experience. Just like candy and wayyy better! xo

…and that’s how your winter looks like? so jealous. In my neck of the woods, we are covered in ice and frost (Canada). We don’t have any orange groves nearby…what I would give to have a citrus grove near where I live…ahhhh…Thanks for sharing your personal adventure!

Wow, that’s amazing! I live in Florida as well. My family lost their entire grove in the 80s. They were located in Eustis. It was a very hard time. We now live in Manatee County, and there are still groves here. I have never thought of making popsicles out of citrus before! Awesome!

What an amazing story – of your persistence in rooting out a citrus farm that is a farm, not an ‘industry’ as the perfect kiddy playtime place.

I have to say, I never realised just how lucky I am to be living on a micro island in the Mediterranean (Malta) with citrus in almost every garden! I don’t have citrus as it happens, just olives, so my neighbour offers up her over supply; I hang a basket over the old stone wall and hoist it up full of zingy scented citrus.

Also, I take my son to play in a government gardens of an old Palazzo. It grows mainly lemons and sweet oranges but has still a few rows of bitter (marmalade) oranges, which no one seems to want. The Arabs introduced citrus here, bitter oranges in 870 A.D. The gardeners pick them for me for free! I’ve just made a zillion jars of marmalade.

I find small islands hard to live on all year round, but boy, they can have their up sides!

Wonderful blog btw – I’ve just come across you! will be homing in often as love the recipes and photos! Thanks for your amazingly detailed posts.

Liz- sounds like you live in an idyllic place. Yes, things in the US (or at least in part) are too industrialized these days and not so easy to access farms and groves. That’s wonderful your children have access to nature like that. Thank you!

what a beautiful and enlightening post.. as a Floridian myself I grew up to the smell of Orange Groves and citrus aplenty…what a brilliant idea to visit the source of nature’s gifts.. lovely pictures and insight.Thank you!

i wish you lived in greece to welcome you, your kids and friends to our organic citrus grove. uncle matt’s sounds like our american twin. your photos are just lovely. keep looking for small growers and feeding yourself and your loved one with organic food. love from greece.

[…] welcomed 2013 at the beach with friends and a bonfire followed by a trip to our favorite citrus grove. We spent the rainy afternoon picking fruit and letting the kids enjoy nature, mud and all. The […]

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